Have you ever wondered ’where are they now?’

I have! About many of my previous guests on my podcast.

So today I'm bringing back Andrea Chase. Andrea was here on the ‘I’m a Millionaire. So, Now What?’ show back in January of 2021. She told us about her venture ProCabby Ltd - a technology startup.; a free mobile app aiming to modernize and rebuild the taxi industry.

A story of persistence, regrouping, and re-evaluation.

“We take it as it comes at this point. I think that's a lesson we've learned in the last couple of years. If you don't, you're just going to be stressed. You’ve got to release the outcome.

2021 was a challenging year. For us, but also for the industry. A trickling of drivers started to return to work in the taxi space. A group of drivers have yet to return to the industry to this day, or maybe are working at a limited capacity. And then you have some drivers who've completely jumped ship, and left the industry entirely. The industry is trying to rebuild. Obviously the demands are still not where they once were. We continue to build up our community. And that's a great thing. We continue to play with our marketing strategies. We looked at what was working and what wasn't and we made some tweaks and changes. We have continued to expand and open conversations with providers across the globe. Unfortunately, though, there was a bit of a standstill with our business growth itself.”

ProCabby’s mandate is to provide the professional taxi driving industry with a tech platform that's universal and works like the ride sharing apps many of us are familiar with. It helps drivers ‘get some skin back in the game’.

It is not intended to be a standalone solution as it stands right now, it's meant to be another tool in the toolkit for cab drivers.

“Think in conjunction with private calls, if you have an affiliation with a company, you'll be getting calls from the company as well. But what we know now is those methods of business are not enough. So we want to create another income stream for the professional driving industry. And in 2021, as part of evaluating our business processes, we made an executive decision to allow professional luxury and limo drivers to also join our platform as well.”

Catering to the needs of an industry

Andrea’s efforts now are more towards recruiting drivers. That's where the greatest amount of resources is being deployed to build up the platform. That, and trying to spread the word through their marketing initiatives. With tech platforms and apps, marketing is a huge part of the equation.

“My biggest fear as the founder is having a bunch of passengers get onto the platform, and there not being enough providers to service them. Because of the nature of the space, the competitiveness, and the volatility in the industry, you probably have one chance; one kick at the can. If I have somebody that goes on to the app, they're giving ProCabby a chance. They don't know anything about us. They download the app, and if they can't get a ride on demand, they may never open the app again. They may delete the app from their phone. So it's that two-fold market ‘Catch 22’ business that's going on. I've had some mentors say, ‘why don't you go the other way around? Why don't you try and get all the passengers and have them demand the driver onboarding?’ In this case, we've assessed that that's not the best method for us. But you can do it in conjunction. So we're kind of doing a bit of both: where promoting it to both markets - the providers and the clients, which are the passengers.”

Shaping technology as a ‘non-tech’ founder

Andrea says she’s far from “the IT guru” but the journey has involved learning a lot about the tech space, and knowing how knowledge translates the skills she brings to the table. One of the signature talks that she delivers is about how she ‘accidentally became a woman in tech’

“I talk about the failures. There's ways that we can work on our mental stamina. What do you do to build up your mental stamina or keep your mental stamina strong to go the distance as an entrepreneur, because without it, in these instances, you will probably falter.”

When Andrea spoke to us in 2021, we talked about the grind of “hustle culture,” VCs and funding, and the struggle of being a relatively fresh start up in a world that’s still heavily male-dominated.

Managing the entrepreneurial mind

For Andrea, with a small team that includes her partner at the helm of technology, mindset becomes key. She fuels the big vision and the building of the community.

“I've learned that when you're on that line of burnout, you're going to be very unproductive. It did get to a point where there were some health issues happening for me. I had to actually take a bit of a regrouping time and step back to focus on my mental and physical health. We hear so much now about self-care, and I think navigating that proactively has been exhausting for many. Some people are probably really sick of hearing about that. But I do think that can't be discounted. There's a lot of merit to it.”

Setbacks, failing forward, regrouping and moving ahead

Andrea speaks about people who have come forward to help in a challenging time, and a couple new people that have joined their team. That also puts the fuel back in the fire, she says.

“Because you want them to start off with a clean slate. And for them to have the advantage of the passion that you brought two or three years ago, when we first were launching. I want them to still be able to have that even though I'm a little more worn down. I still want them to have that energy and be able to benefit from it. Because at the end of the day, that's going to benefit all of us, and it's going to benefit our company.”

The big vision remains

Andrea talks of the vision emerging as the ProCabby business grows. In the beginning, the vision is rarely a 100% clear. As time goes on, it becomes clearer.

“The more that I learned about the industry, the more I really wanted to be able to provide a universal platform that is ProCabby. Ultimately the big dream would be not only for it to be available everywhere and anywhere but for it to also be known to be very socially aware. We're not a social enterprise, but we have a huge social impact. Because we're so driver centric, that is one of our Biggest USPs (unique selling proposition) with our company. We have a profit margin that favors the drivers. And that is one thing that definitely sets us apart.”

Fun, frank advice from Andrea Chase

“I will share something that was shared with me. I can't remember when it was shared with me. But one of the best pieces of business advice that I was ever given was to celebrate the wins in your business, no matter how big or small they are. And just to add on to that, keep a list of the wins. So whether it's on your phone, whether it's a journal or a notebook, file on your computer, keep a list of all your wins. And also include complimentary feedback in that list that you've been given from clients or other people - people that you respect in the business space. I consider it like a love note to yourself. So when you're having those really tough times, those seasons where you're having a hard time picking yourself up, I guarantee you just from experience, taking a look at that list is going to really help you gain some momentum back and remind you that it's not all lost. And that no matter what, you've done things and you will continue to do. Things and you'll continue to progress.”

Alberto is a shining example of resilient startups who aim to make a big impact.

There’s much more to our conversation on the podcast episode with Andrea, I hope you’ll have a listen!

Are you an entrepreneur looking to exit, or at the helm of a thriving business or startup? I would love to talk with you about your stories! You can drop me a line here.